Prospect and Cintra Park To Receive Sports Improvements

Prospect and Cintra Park

Work to improve sports facilities in two of Reading’s most popular parks begins this week, with a combined investment of £128K in new pitch surfaces, fences and play equipment.

From today (14th May) work will start on the refurbishment of sports pitches at Prospect Park in west Reading and the multi-use games area at Cintra Park in south Reading.

The pitches at Prospect Park, which also double up as tennis courts, originally opened in 2007 and have now reached the end of their life. They will now benefit from an £58K investment.

Cintra Park

In south Reading, the multi-use games area at Cintra Park will also benefit from a £70K refurbishment.

The court at Cintra Park, which opened in July 2006, has now also reached the end of its life. As well as a new surface, new perimeter fencing will also be installed and the floodlighting will be inspected.

In addition, the loose-fill surfacing in the play area (currently bark chippings) will be replaced with a rubber surface. The new surface offers improved accessibility and is easier to clean, with the added benefit of reducing maintenance costs. A large basket style swing will also be installed to replace a rotating unit.

Refurbishment

At both sites, the refurbishment is expected to take approximately 5 weeks. To reduce the impact of the closure on users, the Council’s contractors will carry out work during May and June to avoids the football season and the school summer holidays. Alternative pitches will be offered for regular users.

Notices have been displayed at the sites in advance, and also for the duration of the work. It is anticipated that the courts in both parks will open to coincide with the start of Wimbledon.

The work is part of a major £786K investment across Reading’s Parks, approved Council’s Housing, Neighbourhoods and Leisure Committee in March 2018, starting this year and running to 2020, on recreational areas across the borough. The majority of these schemes will be funded from contributions from developers secured via Section 106 agreements.

Comments

Cllr Sarah Hacker, Reading’s Lead Member for Culture, Sport and Consumer Services, said:“I’m pleased to hear work is starting in both of these well used parks. The improvements at Prospect and Cintra Park courts will provide a great boost to the outdoor facilities available for local people. We want residents of all ages to benefit from using our sports facilities, and I hope this will encourage many more to do so.

“This work is part of a larger investment across Reading’s parks, running from now until 2020. I’m delighted we are in a position to deliver such an extensive plan of improvements across Reading’s green spaces. Where we live, and the quality of our immediate environment has a huge impact on our quality of life and wellbeing. This level of investment shows we are committed to keeping the town clean, safe, green and active.”